Dual advanced warning and cutout switch



April 17, 1962 s; ROMAN 3,029,709

DUAL ADVANCED WARNING AND CUTOUT SWITCH Filed April 7, 1960 2Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR .Sau/ Roman M0vemenf in Elevation -M0vemenl mTram --u-- o ATTORNEYs April 17, 1962 s. ROMAN 3,02

DUAL ADVANCED WARNING AND CUTOUT SWITCH Filed April 7, 1960 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Saul Roman BY Q. gm

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent r 3,029,709 DUAL ADVAWt'JED WARNING AND 1CUTOUT SWHTCH Saul Roman, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor, by mesneassignments, to the United States of America as represented bytheSecretary of the Navy Filed Apr. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 20,785 2 Claims.(Cl. 89-434) This invention relates to control systems for poweroperated devices such as guns or missile launchers and more particularlyto circuit breaking devices for rendering the firing circuit of suchdevices inoperative in certain zones of movement.

In the control systems for guns and missile launchers which are firedduring traverse, it is common practice to provide some firing cut-outdevice whereby the firing circult of the gun or missile launcher isrendered inoperative during such time that the gun or missile launcheris aimed in a direction in which it is undesirable to fire. Such firingcut-out devices are usually found on board ship and on aircraft wherethe field of fire of a gun or missile launcher includes structure on theship or aircraft.

It has been the practice in the past to provide a fixed cam which ispatterned after the structure of the ship whereby, as the gun or missilelauncher is pointing at someportion of the ships structure, the firingcircuit will be rendered inoperative to fire a shell from a gun or amissile from a missile launcher. In the use of devices of this type, theremote operator has been unable to tell when the launcher or gun wasapproaching one of the unsafe firing zones until the gun or launcher wasactually pointing at part of the ships structure and the firing circuithad been rendered inoperative.

The present invention provides an improved system whereby a warning isgiven to the remote operator as the gun or launcher approaches one ofthe unsafe firing zones before the firing circuit has been renderedinoperative. This warning enables the remote operator to ascertain atany given time the attitude of the gun or missile launcher with respectto the ships structure and take proper steps to control the missilelauncher or gun such that the firing circuit will not be renderedinoperative unless 'it becomes necessary to do so.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide improved firingcut-out control devices for ordnance equipment.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved firingcut-out device wherein a warning is given as the gun or missile launcherapproaches an unsafe firing zone.

A further object is to provide an improved firing cut'out device whereina warning is given at least degrees of train or elevation before thefiring circuit is rendered inoperative.-

Other objects and many. of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes further understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

'FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the dual advanced warning and cutoutmechanism of this invention and illustrates the relationship of theswitch to the cam and lead screw;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the switch with parts broken away;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the switch with parts broken awayand depicts a portion of the cam;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the switch with parts broken away andillustrates a portion of the cam; and

FIG. 5 is a graphic representation of the relationship of the movementof the gun or missile launcher in degrees train and elevation to theswitch actuators.

aezaiiea Patented Apr. 17, 1962 ice Referring to FIG. 1, showing oneembodiment of the present invention, a cylindrical cam 10 is supportedon shaft 12 and is driven by suitable gears 14 from the training gear 16of a power operated device such as a gun or missile launcher (not shown)through an intermediate gear box, not shown. The cylindrical cam 10rotates at any suitable speed ratio with the training movement of thegun or missile launcher, such for example as a ratio of 1 to 8. Therotation of the cylindrical cam corresponds to the rotation of the gunor launcher in azimuth or train.

The carn surface is cut on a cylindrical sheath sleeve 18 which isfastened between clamp plates 20 on a drum 2.2. The sleeve 18 is cutaway over the entire area that represents the safe firing zone and,consequently, the part of the sleeve 18 which is not cut away representsthe area into which it is unsafe to fire. I

Adjacent to and parallel to the axis of the cylindrical cam. 10 is alead screw 24 which is supported for rotation by brackets 26 and isdriven by a suitable gearing 28 from the elevation sector 39 of the gunor launcher. On the lead screw 24, a follower 32 is mounted for movementtherealong as the lead screw 24 is rotated by the elevation sector 30. Aguide bar 34 is supported in the brackets 26 parallel to the lead screw24 and extends through the follower 32 to keep the follower fromrotating as the lead screw rotates. I

A firing cut-out switch 36 and an advance warning switch 38 are mountedon the follower 32 for movement therewith. These two switches are of theplunger type and are mounted in superposed relationship with the advancewarning switch 38 uppermost. Mounted on the follower 32 is an advancewarning switch actuator 42. Mounted on the follower 32 concentricallywith the actuator 42 is a firing cut-out switch 36. The advance warningswitch actuator 42, best illustrated in FIG. 3, has an arm 43 whichextends outwardly at an angle thereto to engage the plunger 40 of theadvance warning switch 38. The end of the advance warning switchactuator 42 opposite the switch plunger 40 engages the cam surface ofthe cylindrical cam 10. The cam engaging end of the advance warningswitch actuator 42 is elliptical in shape, as shown in FIG. 2, for areason which will be mentioned later. The switch actuator 42 is biasedtoward the cylindrical cam 10 by suitable springs 50 and the switchactuator 44, which is telescopically mounted within actuator 42, isbiased toward the cam 10 by a suitable spring 52. The switch actuator 44engages the plunger 46 of switch 36 when moved to the left as seen inFIG. 3.

The difference in the speed of the movement of the gun or missilelauncher in train and elevation makes it necessary to employ anelliptically shaped cam contacting surface on the advance warning switchactuator 42. The semi-minor axis of the ellipse being equal to 5 ofmovement of the gun or missile launcher in elevation at a constanttraining angle and the semi-major axis of the ellipse being equal to 5of movement of the gun or missile launcher in train at a constantelevation angle.

During operation of the device, and as. the gun or missile launchermoves in train, the cylindrical cam 10 is rotated by gearing 14. The camsurface contacts therad- Vance warning switch actuator 42 when the gunor missile launcher approaches a zone into which it is unsafe to fire.The elliptical shape of the cam engaging surface of the advance warningswitch actuator 42 causes the advance warning switch 38 to be actuatedat a predetermined point such, for example, as 54 mils within the safeto fire area. Upon activation, the advance warning switch 38 initiatesthe flashing of an advance warning light at the radar director (notshown), to thereby warn the remote operator that the gun or missilelauncher is approaching an unsafe firing zone.

The cylindrical cam 10 is so formed that the firing cutout switch 36will be actuated slightly short of the unsafe firing zone, for exampleat a point 18 mils from the unsafe firing zone, and the firing circuitis thereby rendered inoperative. As soon as the firing cut-out switch 36is actuated, the advance warning light ceases to flash and glowssteadily until the firing cut-out switch 36 is de-actuated.

De-actuation of the firing cut-out switch 36 will take place after thegun or missile launcher has moved out of the unsafe firing zone areasuch for example at a point 36 mils outside the unsafe firing Zone. Atthis point, the advance warning light will again commence to flash andwill continue to do so until the advance warning switch 38 isde-actuated which will occur when the launcher has moved to anotherpredetermined point such, for example, as a point 54 mils within thesafe to fire" area.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims theinvention'rnay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

l. A cam-actuated advance warning and cutout switch means comprising arotatably-mounted cylindrical cam, a follower mounted to reciprocateaxially along said cylindrical cam, said follower comprising a pair ofswitch actuators telescoped with respect to each other, a pair ofswitches carried by said follower, each actuator being operativelyconnected to one of said switches, each actuator being resilientlybiased into sliding contact with said cylindrical earn, the outer ofsaid telescoping actuators being of generally elliptical cross-section,whereby the switch connected to said outer actuator is operated prior tooperation of the switch connected to the inner actuator.

2. In a control system for a train and elevation drive system havingindependently operable train and elevation gearing, a cam-actuatedadvance warning and cutout switch comprising a rotatably mountedcylindrical cam driven by said train gearing, a lead screw extendingparallel to the axis of said cylindrical cam and driven by saidelevation gearing, a follower carried by said lead screw, said followercomprising a pair of independently movable switch actuators telescopedwith respect to each other and a pair of switches, each actuator beingoperatively connected to one of said switches and resiliently biasedinto sliding contact with said cylindrical cam, the outer of saidtelescoping actuators being of generally elliptical cross-section,whereby said outer actuator closes its associated switch prior toclosing of the switch connected to the inner actuator and opens saidassociated switch after opening of said switch connected to the inneractuator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,434,654 Watkins et al Ian. 20, 1948 2,542,483 Fonseca Feb. 20, 19512,633,060 Topham et al Mar. 31, 1953 2,682,200 Jackson et al June 29,1954 2,692,534 Pluess Oct. 26, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 298,984 GermanySept. 18, 1920

